Afasten
The native faith of Arcas and countries with a strong Arcasan heritage such as Amcar. The Arcasan pantheon is a faith of 10 gods that are universally considered important by the Arcasans. Despite being polytheistic society, most Arcasans only worship one or a few gods actively depending on the person's position and lifestyle. Other gods do exist, but their followings are small and unimportant to most Arcasans, these gods are often refered to as spirits. Overview The 10 gods of Arcas are beloved and respected in Arcas. They are seen as protectors and remain popular to this day among their followers. Many agree that this is because of the blotters of the gods. To the Arcasan faith, a blotter is a representative of the deity that he/she follows. They should not lock themselves away from the people. The gods already know that theses blotters are devoted to them, the best way to show it is by doing work that the god would approve of making blotters very active in mortal affairs. The Blotterthoods are largely independent, but are bound by the laws of the Gathering of 11. The Gathering is a body of 11 blotters from each of the 11 blotterhoods of the 10 Elder Gods and the high deity Doner. The Gathering sets policy and makes overriding theological decisions for the entire faith. It is a very powerful and prestigious position, orders and individual blotter fight amongst each other for a spot on the gathering. The Gathering is overseen by the Stolman of the 11, a blotter of Doner who chairs the meetings and is given the duty of convening emergency meetings when necessary. The gods are opposed by the divine beasts. The divine beasts are leftover pieces of creation. They are forces of nature that can take any form, but are often depicted as a beast. As they are pieces of creation they hold power similar to the gods, but lack their restraint and often need to be put down to prevent them from destroying things. The beasts are largely independent of each other and indeed, two beasts meeting will invariably result in a fight between them. Most beasts are not a threat to the gods and are categorized as Lesser Beasts that are only a threat to mankind (and thus are put down by the gods anyway to protect their charges). The beings that can threaten gods are considered Greater Beasts and are put down as soon as they appear by the strongest gods present. Finally the most fearsome beast, The Dragon of Ending. The beast’s origin is unclear, some say it was born from a dying star, others say from the hatred of the inhabitants of a realm that was destroyed. Regardless of the origin, all sources agree that the Dragon is a being of pure destruction. It exists only to destroy and if the gods become too weak, it will destroy the world. However it is said that the world will be reborn and life will start over, just very different from the one in the last one, which is why Arcasan are trying to preventing it. The Last Day, a day that all followers of the faith dread. It is said that when the gods are no longer worshipped and they grow weak the Dragon will return. The day of its return will be called The Last Day. On this day everything will die a final death, the Dragon, the gods, even the souls of those who are already dead. During the day it is said that the gods will die trying to stop the Dragon and their followers will die along with them. In the end, only the Dragon and Vyr’s Legion will remain. The Legion is made up of those who died worshipping Vyr, soldiers recruited from all Eras and Ages. Once everyone else is dead the Legion will march on the last day led by Vyr and his surviving children. The Legion and Dragon will clash. If the Dragon wins than the cycle will continue, another world will be born to be devoured. If the Legion wins then the current world will be reborn with the souls of those who suffered a final dead returned and life will go on in the current world. Historical Influences on Theological Canon Arcasan mythology is famous for its singular belief that all we do will ultimately not matter in the grand scheme of things. Despite this, Arcasan mythology is filled with tales of heroism and great deeds. Arcasan mythology encourages heroism in the face of defeat because despite the fact that it might not matter, you should still do the right thing because being selfish actions will help you no more than the good action. Men and gods will remember what you tried to do and will honor you for as long as they can, while those that do evil will die with the god, but not be honored and often will be forgotten at best and reviled at worst. As the poet Edgar Tew wrote Arcasans do the right thing because "...we are all equally damned in the end, but your actions will be what is remembered of you." Another important and perhaps accidental theme is that each of Arcas's five ages embody one of the gods with a similarly evolving theme. #The Wyric Era is associated with Eaker. To reflect this, the common theme of the era is attempting to survive in the world and find your place in it, mirroring the themes of the god of life, death, and the natural order. #The Cerdef Era is associated with Brom, the inspiring trickster. Many stories of this era change from surviving to thriving. The heroes of these stories attempt to improve their lot in life and do in the impossible. They often focus on the will of men and how a single man can change a great many things. #The Yndsen Era is associated with the law god Lyfter. Tales and stories of these era focus on moral implications of the actions of men. Heroes of the Yndsen Era are hailed for what they attempted to do and their reasons for their actions rather than the actions themselves #The Armis Era is assoicated with the Vyr, the war and protection god. This era takes a step back from the lofty ideas of the last era and instead focuses on three central issues that reflect the Arcas of the era: protect the homeland, reclaim lost glory, and attempt to find a place in the new world. #The Current Republican era is associated with the enlightened Inwit. The era and theme both embrace what they see as the best of the old eras while rejecting the rest in favor of their own way. Many works take a positive view of the future and encourage reason and logic to guide actions over emotions. The Gathering of 11 Originally the faith of Arcas was decentralized and prone to divergent and conflicting theological canon. However under the Cerdef monarchs, the nation and faiths were united. After uniting Arcas, Gladwin Cerdef I found that the nation had few agreed upon norms. To settle this problem, the king called upon all the blotterhoods of Arcas to come to his city so that they may craft a canon, any blotterhood that failed to head the call would be left out of the canon and declared heathens. After several months of negotiations and arguments, an agreement was reached, immortalized into the Afasten Laws that codified the gods of Arcas, their positions, their myths, their lineages, their interpretations, and much more. However, even the Laws could not predict or cover every issue that could arise, nor could it govern matters of faith. Thus Gladwin created the Gathering of 10. The highest authority of the Afasten faith, even capable of overruling the kings and later the krigsters of Arcas. Each of the ten Elder Gods were granted one representative on the Gathering, each god or goddess would have a representative that matched their gender, giving both genders an equal number of votes. The representative wields a tremendous amount of power, meaning that in many cases, the representative acted a de facto High Blotter of their god's cult (which led some scholars to claim that at least part of the reason for creating the the gathering was to keep some power in the city of Arcas and thus easily within his reach). To prevent ties, each representative was given a turn as Stolman of the Gathering, meaning over ten years, each god's blotter would be Stolman once, with the Stolman able to vote and break ties. This system continued well into the Yndsen Era before the Donerist movement began. Originally led by Eadweard of Fredsburg, the leader of a small sect of Doner blotter from modern day Western Arcas. Arcasan records state that he attempted to reform the faith of Afasten to give Doner a larger role. He was largely ignored by Yndsen authorities at the time. To the secular authorities, it was a religious matter and something that the blotters should handle, they only intervened if it interrupted imperial order. Thus Eadweard was able to gain a massive following before dying in 743 YE. With his death, his supporters broke apart and began fighting and growing more and more radical. Refusing to let this issue threaten his peace (nor willing to start massacring droves of people) Krigster Bernhard Yndsen I struck a deal with the leader of the largest moderate Donerist sect, Eadger, cousin of Eadweard. Cooperating with the government, Eadger was able to emerge victorious from the struggle and crown himself Eadweard I, first High Blotter of Doner (the title High Blotter was previously reserved for only the blotters of the Elder Gods with other sects only being allowed titles like First Blotter), in honor of his cousin, and starting a practice of High Blotters of Doner taking new names upon accession. High Blotter Eadweard was named permanent Stolman of the new Gathering of 11 and began enacting the Eadwearder reforms that led to the basics of the current systems. The Creator The Primordial One Doner, the creator of the Arcas Pantheon. Never truly portrayed like an actual god, most often he is portrayed as a being of creation that most gods have difficulty comprehending. He is mentioned in the Epic as the Father of Creation. He is a deity that does not care for the goings of a single realm, and instead stands at the center of the realms (Pelmet) constantly observing and creating realms. The most mysterious of the gods, is often only alluded to as the Father of All or as the Observer. He is the parent of the Elder Gods. Before the reforms of High Blotter Eadweard I Doner was not even a prominent part of the Arcasan cult. Doner was portrayed as a force of nature that simply creates rather than as a deity, In fact, many of the early Arcasan religious texts laud the gods because they brought order to the "the chaotic creation of Doner" and a prominent reason for why they should be worshiped. His blotterhood was small and unimportant until the Eadwearder reforms. The Ten The White Watcher Eaker, god of life, death, and natural order. He is the first of the Elder Gods and often seen as the most stable of the siblings. He was created by Doner to give order to life. Doner is considered to be the creator of the realms, Eaker is the one who populates the realms with living things: stars, planets, plants, animals, humans. He is portrayed as a neutral deity, taking lives is part of his role, he understands it is important and so does it without complaint and without prejudice, taking all when their time comes regardless of status or position. Most often prayed to around the birth of a new child or the death of someone. He is largely considered a benign figure that truly loves humanity, often refereed to as Father of Life and the Final Friend. He is prayed to first in general prayers and his blotterhood often handles most funerals and in earlier times delivered babies and recorded births. They are also charged with maintaining the Name Halls, catacomb like buildings that contain the names and information of the dead, carved into the walls of the building. This practice stems from the Arcasan belief that dead are to be honored, but that corpses are simply empty containers that must be disposed of in whatever manner is convenient. Thus Name Halls were created to record the dead and five the living a place to visit their graves without taking a great deal of room. The largest of these halls is the Arcas Name Hall with millions of names in underground passages that run for miles under the city. The Black Weaver Higa, goddess of fate, plans, and marriage. She is the second of the Arcasan gods and one of the most dangerous. Higa watches man from the shadows watching the story of each person play out until their deaths. Destiny in Arcas culture is not seen as a single path that all men are bound by, but instead many options that people can choose from the narrow throughout their lives as choices are made, until, death becomes inevitable. Higa however is portrayed as a proper lady who knows what her role is and dislikes it when others step out of the “roles” they are meant to play. She is however very kind to those who she likes or respects and even changes events to help these individuals out, but this is rare, even in myths that deal heavily with her. Her blotterhood act as oracles, they are often consulted for giving fortunes for those who are inclined to believe them and are often the blotter who officiate weddings. The Red Trickster Bron, god of fire, trickery, and shadows, One of the most highly regarded for bring fire to man. He is a figure that helps and hinders. He gave fire to man so that they could become more than what they were, and he was pleased that they have indeed became more. Bron helps men by forcing them to confront their issues. In the legends he will free the man's shadow and force him to confront his insecurities and become a better person or die, other times he will be a trickster who will force the same through his own words. He will help any he deems worthy and capable of bringing man further, but also very willing to destroy those who he does not like. His blotters serve as guardians of fire and light and even today man lighthouses and control electric companies, others follow the shadow path and drift through the nation to help people confront who they really are. The Cyan Healer Watima, goddess of water, trade, and medicine. Watima is portrayed as a normally calm deity that occasionally falls into violent moods after being displeased, on the mortal realm these take the form of rough waters, whirlpools, rogue waves, etc. For a long time it was considered proper for sailors in these straits to through valuables overboard as sacrifices to appease the goddess. As the cult of Vyr grew in prominence many sailors instead sacrificed weapons and armor to the sea in an attempt to earn Vyr's protection, this was largely a practice of common sailors, naval officers, and pirates. Considered a bad god to anger, those who slight her are often given very violent water related deaths, but is also willing to accept apologizes. Her blotters are largely healers or travelers who sail from ship to ship as honored guests who drive away bad weather and act as doctors for the sailors. The Yellow Father Lyfter, god of the sun, sky, and governance. Lyfter is featured prominently in Arcasan mythology, often as a firm, but fair ruler and honest in all things, even if saying it will hurt him. He rules the sky, his home (and home to the rest of the gods) is Hala, thus he is often associated with light as well. He is portrayed as a fair god as befitting his title of law god, he will reward good deeds and punish bad ones. Lyfter is also a determined deity, he will not stop until he achieves justice, no matter the cost, simply because that is right to him. He was favored among the nobility, but retained a great deal of popularity among the common man. His blotters are called to bring good weather and formerly, to mediate meeting between nobles. Formally they acted as the justice system, providing defense attorneys and keeping records, now they remain active as clerks and some heargs to run free of charge defense attorneys. The Orange Tamer Cinda, goddess of nature, eorde, and animals. She is portrayed as a happy goddess that is naïve and insensitive. She is the guardian of animals and trees, a force that observes nature. She is a nice deity at heart, but cruelty of nature has wrapped her sense of right and wrong, thus making her a very misguided goddess. A farmer who complains about a fox that has been stalking his chickens may find that it has been driven off my a wolf or bear that causes him even greater problems. A gardener that prays for more growth in his garden may find that weeds or even trees have taken root in his garden. A man who asked how to win the heart of maiden was told to kill his romantic rival, and so on. She often takes the form of a young women or an animal to play in the forest. Her blotters are very close to nature and many continue to protect both people and animals as park rangers and wilderness guides. The Gray Guard Vyr, god of metal, war, and protection, he is the unofficial patron god of Arcas. The patron of deity of the original tribe that founded Arcas. He is charged with maintaining the lives of men and protecting them from harm. He is the patron of many professions, farmers pray to him to protect their crops, soldiers and sailors for protection on the battlefield, workers and craftsmen for their livelihood, these qualities lead to his continued popularity to the modern day. His cult is one of the strongest in modern Arcas, partly due to his association with the Social Justice Party. His blotters had many jobs, but now they mostly work as chaplains in the military or run heargs that cater toward helping those of the lower class, but an order of Equalist blotters did work as wandering provocateurs, encouraging unionization of farmers and workers and leading strikes against the “oppressors." The Brown Mage Festa, goddess of harvest, home, and magic. She is prayed to for good harvests and will reward those who work hard and care for their fields. However, she also understands the soil and will occasionally create poor harvests to ensure that others will be bountiful or if she feels that the farmers are not treating their land with the proper respect. When man began to seek out knowledge Festa took notice. She was fascinated at man's ability to reason and search so she gave the wisest humans the ability to harness magic. She allowed them to see the web of fate, to harness the power of the elements, to summon creatures from beyond the realm, for this she was honored for centuries by all. Her blotters jointly preside over harvest festivals with the blotters of Vyr. They also offer to help with harvests and are involved in the entertainment as magicians. The Blue Lord Inwit, god of reason, order, and science. Inwit is consider the most enlightened and orderly of the gods. Truly a god of man, unlike the other deities all his abilities are solely focused on man made concepts. He is portrayed as a scholarly god who values knowledge and reason above all else. He is the one that taught man to reason and learn. He is patron to the order that man creates and thus very popular with institutions of order such as the police and government, he is especially popular with the Republican government. He is also the patron of philosophers and most, if not all sciences because he is said to be the one that gave man the ability to reason and think. His blotters act as collectors of knowledge, they store and protect any scrap of knowledge they can find because they believe, like their god, that all knowledge has worth, thus many act as scientists and librarians to find and protect knowledge. The Green Lady Luvi, goddess of emotion, chaos, and art. The opposite of Inwit in every aspect, Luvi is a wild and impulsive deity. Luvi is like Inwit, focused solely on man made concepts and acts as the adversary to Inwit by opposing strict adherence to them. She taught man emotions such as love and the arts. Luvi is celebrated among artists as a muse and an inspiration to live up to. She is said to have given man the ability to feel, thus tying her to Inwit as both are important to the creation and improvement of society and knowledge. This connection has led to the two being tied together, often as lovers or spouses that complete the other and cover the other's weaknesses. Her blotters are lovers of art just like their goddess and have historically been supporters of many artists with their heargs acting as art houses to this day where artists may come to express themselves and show off their work to everyone. Minor Gods Gods that are still revered by Arcasans, but are not members of the Ten. The Messenger Abeo, god of messages and son of Inwit and Luvi. Abeo is often depicted as a lone god that is constantly on the run. He takes his job very seriously because he is often bringing messages that could change the world. He is called the Timely God because he always seems to appear at the right moment to take a message or deliver one. Even in old plays he often shows up to deliver messages that prevent great (and senseless) tragedies from occurring. He takes every failure seriously and goes to extreme lengths to make sure it does not happen, even going through divine beasts. Abeo's blotters served as court messengers and even to this day act as the postal service for messages, his heargs are often primarily used as post offices with weohes to his children/subordinates acting as mail drop boxes. The Gatekeepers Dan, god of dawn, and Dox, god of dusk, twin sons of Lyfter and Cinda. The twins are tasked with acting as gatekeepers of Hala. They are portrayed as cold and distant gods who take their duties very seriously. Dan guards Hala as it rises and is soon joined by his brother for most of the day until dusk when Dox takes the final shift to guard Hala before it falls below the horizon and out of the sight of mortals. They have defended Hala from many threats including the Bull of Lochwind, destroying the beast by stabbing it through the eyes with their spears.Their blotterhood is small and studied Hala and other stars, in current era they run astronomy towers and record solar events. The Seasons Hrid, god of winter, Hata, goddess of Spring, Hani, goddess of Summer, and Hend, god of Fall, the children of Eaker and Higa. They are charged with maintaining the natural order of the seasons. While grouped together each retains their own personality and look, probably stemming from their strange birth. Higa had trouble during her labor and so Hrid, who was meant to be eldest, stayed inside and helped push out his other three siblings before leaving himself, thus the gods were born in reverse order of their actual age. Hata, first born, but youngest is depicted as a young maiden with a happy disposition. Hali, second born, but second-youngest is portrayed as an older, but still young women who has come into her own. Hend, third born and second-oldest, is a man who is past his prime and the cruelty of life has worn him down. Hrid, last born and oldest is seen as an old man that has seen a great deal and is largely waiting for his end. The siblings are very different to reflect upon their seasons, but very close knit and enjoy each others company. Their blotterhood is combined, but each blotter was schooled to be an expert in one of them, however in the modern day their blotterhood has shrunk greatly in size and influence, save for in Bexley, the location of their main hearg. The Victor Vinn, god of hunting and games, and son of Inwit and Luvi. Vinn is considered on the strongest minor gods in existence a large amount of worship. The reason is because he cannot lose. He is god of games, meaning that he cannot lose at any game, no matter how loosely you define it as such. He will never fail to catch a prey and will never lose any game he enters, making him a god of victory. This inability to lose makes him very popular with gamblers who look to him for victory and hunters who want to feed their families. A calm and assured god, he leads The Hunt, a group of minor gods and spirits who spend their time hunting and playing games. He is also one of the few gods who is not mentioned as having died in The Last Day. His blotterhood remains powerful and often lead hunts to kill dangerous animals or host festivals. The Fisher Naca, goddess of boats and fishing, daughter of Bron and Watima. A cheery goddess that largely busies herself with her domain. She does not care for the squabbles, instead she fills her days with sailing and fishing. This indifference does hinder her as often as it helps. Her blotterhood and following are both small because she does not often reward followers as the other gods do. Her blotterhood is thus small and largely limited to a few scattered heargs in fishing towns and villages, saved only by the devotion that fishermen show her in exchange for good hauls. However this devotion is easily swayed and poor fishing seasons often greatly affect her popularity and that of her blotterhood. The Lover Lusa, goddess of lust, fertility, and youth. Daughter of Vyr and Festa, Lusa is an embodiment of the darker parts of love. While Luvi embodies emotional love, Lusa is considered the embodiment of the physical love. She is portrayed as a vain and fickle god that embraces headonism. Despite these faults she is still greatly respected among humans for being an honest goddess that does not pretend to be something that she is not. Lusa is also a fertility goddess and thus her blotters are often sought by those who have trouble producing children. In older era her heargs and blotters also acted as lovers for those who came looking for such services. The Avenger Recker, god of revenge, retribution, and calamity. Son of Bron and Watima, portrayed as a calm god that executes his duties, but is truly frightening when angered. He does not care for riches or adoration, he only cares about achieving his own justice by avenging those who have been wronged. He also serves as a punisher of sinners in Witeland. As a calamity god, he never had an officially recognized blotterhood, however an assassins guild called the Brotherhood of Recker achieved great fame in previous centuries. In the modern day he has a few scattered heargs that seem abandoned, but always remain in good shape and often receive offerings from anonymous people, raising questions about the power of his cult. Despite being the son of Brom and Watima, he is often associated with Eaker. A popular belief is that Recker is an aspect of Eaker, not a separate deity and recent discoveries of Old Arcasan religion seem to augment this. The Oathkeeper Arlice, goddess of oaths, pledges, and honor. Daughter of Lyfter and Cinda, she is seen as a calm and proper goddess that takes her duties very seriously. She records all oaths that have been made in any god's name. Those that betray these oaths are hunted down by her husband Recker. She also acts as one of the two rulers of Witeland, the area of the afterlife that punishes sinners and criminals with the worst being traitors. Her cult is still somewhat popular today and her blotters often act as neutral observers in contract signings and often write them as a neutral party because of their reputation as honest and neutral men and women. Despite this, rumors persist of her blotters having been protectors of the Brotherhood of Recker in the past eras. The Strong Miht, god of strength and will. Son of Vyr and Festa, the strongest (physically) of the gods. Miht does not give up, he is famed for his unrelenting force. Once he chooses a goal, it will be accomplished, no matter how unlikely or impossible. Even the mighty Bull of Lochwind could not defeat him, only forcing him to draw, an amazing feat in itself. The Unstoppable God is a feared one indeed. He has many stories that highlight his strength and determination such as him stopping star pieces (asteroids) from hitting earth and throwing a few back creating the moons. His blotterhood is small, like many minor gods, but his heargs are very popular for those who are stressed or lost in life and feel they need a push. His blotters often act as counsellors because of this. The Author Redoc, god of literature, poetry, and all things written. Son of Inwir and Luvi, he is a soft spoken god who loves to write. He is loved by his parents for inheriting both his father's thirst for knowledge and his mother's love of art and combining them. People look up to him as an example of what man should be, able to be at harmony with both logic and emotion. His blotterhood is interesting in the fact that it is vast, but lacks dedicated heargs to their god, instead he has weohes or areas inside his parent's heargs for worship. This stems from the fact that his blotters are wanderers, in old eras they traveled the land collecting stories and reciting them for those who cared to hear them. Many ended up in the courts of nobles who saw blotters of Redoc as status symbols and thus were often fought over. Today the blotters still travel searching for potential authors and encouraging reading amongst youth. He has also become associated with the internet along with his father. The Dreamer Gema, goddess of sleep and dreams. Daughter of Bron and Watima, she is a rather ditzy goddess that enjoys passing the day with sleep. Gema was born to put man to sleep and dream without fear of divine beasts entering their minds. She seeks to ease the sufferings of men. Gema does occasionally do too much when trying to help. Sometimes to ease a man of pain she puts him into a deep sleep that he is not able to awaken from. This makes her loved, but also makes people wary of her. She became associated with medicine that helps put people to sleep and slowly became associated with medicine in general. Her blotters often act as herbal medicinal specialists while her mother became more associated with doctors. The Drinker Driny, goddess of wine, alcohol, and merriment. Daughter of Inwir and Luvi, Driny is charged with keeping men happy. She thus gave man the ability to create alcohol so that they may become merry and enjoy their lives before dying. She also takes after her uncle Bron in that she enjoys playing with people. Her beverages are filled with a special spirit that makes men act different from who they are or who they really are, depending on who you ask. She often tempts men to partake in drinking over doing work and must be watched carefully so that she does not take control of their lives. Her heargs act as taverns or places to confess sins committed while drinking. In contrast to their goddess, her blotters attempt to curb man's drinking. The Suns The epithet "The Sun" actually refers to two different deities, both children of Lyfter and Cinda. The first was Eges, he was the first personification of the sun, charged with keeping the sun in working order. He was also god of combat and disputes. The sun reflected this and was too cold to properly warm the planet, reflecting the personality of the god that it was based on. He was killed in one of the Dragon of the End's early appearances. His death threw the gods into chaos until Eges was replaced by his younger sister Hala. Hala was a much more cheery and happy god, this caused the sun to warm the planet more and allow life to prosper more than it had under her brother. Hala, like her other siblings, takes her duties very seriously and thus is not seen away from the sun very often. The Blotterhood of Hala is dedicated to Hala, but they also honor Eges as a great god and worthy predecessor. The Outsider Hamamn, the god of the moon and the most strange of the gods. As stated before Miht stopped several meteors and sent them back into space. This caused the sky to be filled with moons until it became to grounded. The moon spirits began to fight each other until only one was left, Hamamn. As Hamamn is not a native to Arcas, or the world he/it is seen as completely foreign to humanity. Hamamn is often portrayed with a very strange appearance that does not quite match anything on earth and a completely different morality than the rest of the gods and humanity. Despite this strangeness Hamamn is well liked among the gods as he brings light with his moonlight where there would otherwise be none. It is also believed that since he is a foreign god he is exempt from the last day. The Survivalist Faction even prophesied that upon the dragon's death he would become the new sun to replace the one that the dragon will eat. The Cleaner Clane, god of cleaning, sewers, and home care. Son of Vyr and Festa, Clane is the god of cleaning. He will not stand for any dirt or disorder in his realm. He obsessively cleans and cleans to get rid of the dirt. He is ironically given patronage of sewers for this reason, while he hates them, he sees them as a necessary evil to keep as much of society clean as possible. Through his association with sewers he also became patron of aqueducts and pipes. While his job in closer to the bottom of society, he is still greatly respected for doing what few others would and doing it without a complaint, showing a devotion to order, something that is considered very important to Arcasans. His blotters were charged with keeping society clean and running, and still do by running water plants and the like. In the modern day they have also become associated with health inspectors. The Trader Feo, god of business, finance, and thieves. Son of Bron and Watima, he is a cold and calculating god that looks for any way to increase his power, no matter how it must be done. He is usually an intelligent god, but occasionally his lust for more and more power drives him to do things that will hurt him in the long run. This drive and willingness to do whatever it takes means that he has become associated with both sides of "wealth acquisition," both the legal and illegal parts of it. This duality means that many business industries that rely on money such as banks were heavily scrutinized for any forms of illegalness. His blotterhood does not like the association with blotter and the official orders work to end association with it, despite this many members of the criminal underworld still identify with him. The Performer Goma, goddess of plays, drama, and entertainment in general. Daughter of Inwit and Luvi, Goma loves plays and has sporadic portrayals as she emulates whichever character has piqued her interest. Her love of taking on roles has left people unsure of what her real personality is, if she indeed has one. Some argue that she has become so immersed in her role that she cannot remember who she was before she began taking on her personas. Unlike many deities her importance in the new era has expanded as she has become associated with movies, television, and even video games due to her association with all forms of entertainment. Her heargs acted as really theaters and even today many theaters, even movie cinemas, keep statues or small heargs in her honor. The Giver Brytta, goddess of food, gifts, and charity. Daughter of Inwit and Luvi, Brytta is charged with keeping homes in order. She is a protector of food, and in exchange she only asks that they help others who are less fortunate than they are, thus she became a goddess of gifts and charity. She is also heavily associated with children due to a practice done on Mid-Year in her name. As this is held after harvest it became traditional for good children to receive gifts during the holiday. Being the goddess of giving and a protector of the home, Brytta was the obvious patron of the holiday. Her popularity has high, because while she does not have many heargs or blotters, she is considered the head of the home gods. Many Arcasans homes, even irreligious ones maintain small weohes to her. The Guardians The Guardians are a quartet of gods that are charged with guarding Arcas, they are children of Eaker and Higa. Each deity is charged with guarding one of the four cardinal directions. Nord is portrayed as a powerful, hardy man who guards the North. He is a fun loving and easy going man, mirroring the North Arcasans that he has come to represent. Suth is the disciplined and serious guard of the south. Suth is a man whose first and only duty is to guard the south. This mirrors the Galrics that the south has come to be identified with, many in Galria still fear a Dureran invasion and remain wary of their southern neighbor. Wes is the simple and hardworking western guard. Like Suth, Wes takes her duty seriously because of Arcas's large western border, she remains ready for any and all attacks. Est is the clever and adventurous guard of the east. Unlike her sister, she does not have to worry about being attacked because no nation is close to Arcas's eastern border. She thus focuses on adventure and exploration over her appointed duty, but when pressed she is just as fearsome and reliable as her siblings. The Wisemen Arder, Beor, and Calur are the sons of Vyr and Festa. They are a trio of tricksters and advisers that are charged with supervising fate. While originally they did their duty without complaint, however over time they began to have more and more questions about what they were doing. They saw that keeping fate as it was would leave everyone dead, so the three decided to change fate. They began changing fate running some men and helping others all in an attempt to stop the Last Day. The Wisemen manipulate both gods and men for their own ends, among the things attributed to them was convincing Bron to give man fire and causing the events that led to the creation of Arcas. They lack a blotterhood or heargs, but they are very popular gods among the general populace and mentions of them appear everywhere. Hero Gods Humans who have transcended death and become gods through their deeds. The First Aman, called the first man, some non-Arcasans assume he is the first person, but that view is incorrect. Aman is instead the first person to show one of the Arcasan virtues, in this case, justice. Aman was a simple tribesman, no different from any other. That changed when his brother was killed by a man from a rival tribe, the first murder. Aman found the body of his brother with the knife (the material of the knife is disputed, commonly assumed to be bone, but stone and flint are also used) and sought out the killer. He found the man and avenged his brother's murder by executing the man. For this act, Aman was awarded the name Aman - a hand (man meant hand in proto-Arcasan) of the gods. Aman went on to sire many sons and eventually became the ancestor of all of mankind. He ascended to godhood some time in the Wyric Era. The Founder Arcis, the founder of Arcas and patron of the city. Said to have transcended into godhood when he order the founding of the city, thus creating a massive hearg in his name and an empire through it. The Leader Gladwin Cerdef I, the first Arcas who attempted to unify Arcas. His story is the basis of The Great War Cycle a series of Epics that detail his successful unification of Arcas under his reign. The Soldiers Oswald the Cleaver and Griselda. Oswald was Gladwin's greatest warrior who perished in the final battle between Gladwin and his foes, including the former lord of Oswald who betrayed him. While not a leader like the others, he achieved his godhood through his determination. Griselda was the wife of Oswald, she married him while he was still under his previous lord, Cynebald. Cynebald was a good lord to Oswald, but began to fear Oswald's power and began lusting after Griselda. Thus he had Oswald killed in a hunt, however Oswald survived and was discovered by Gladwin who nursed him back to health. Oswald thus served Gladwin and reunited with Griselda in the final battle. Griselda had served in Cynebald's court after Oswald's "death" but never married Cynebald, much to his anger. They both perished in the final battle and were defied by Gladwin himself after he became King of Arcas. The Liberator Elic Yndsen I, first Krigster and the one who liberated Arcas from the Galrics and created the Arcasan Empire that would dominate and control Aredia for centuries. The Madman Fredric Yndsen I, Fredric "the Mad" as many call him. He earned his godhood through sheer force of will and insanity. He did things that other considered impossible and insane. The most famous of which was creating a bridge by tying thousands of ships together to cross Lake Talous. His acts defied common sense so much that his subjects were quick to deify him upon his death simply because they could not believe he could be anything else. The Saver Wilem Armis I, the general who saved Arcas and created the Armis dynasty. He earned his godhood by saving Arcas from the barbarians and former subjects that sought their lands. Despite the fall of his dynasty, he is still held in high regard by modern Arcas as a hero. The Martyr Wystan Heward, like Oswald, he was not a leader, instead he was a blacksmith. His fame comes from Commons Massacre that started the revolution. He was one of the dozens that died, however after being shot he continued his march to the palace gates. Despite blood loss and two more salvos from the Royal Guards, he continued to march, dying only when reaching the gates. His strength and legend grew from there as the Republican government used him as a martyr, after the war he was deified by the Gathering of 11. Other Denominations Teners The most common unorthodox faith, Teners are also called Old/Folk Afasteners because they reject the legitimacy of the Eadweard reforms, instead, they only acknowledge the legitimacy of the Ten Elder Gods. While called heathens, whether or not they are is a hotly debated topic insider and outside of the denomination. Teners acknowledge the authority of the other ten High Blotters and lack their own dedicated heargs, instead worshiping with normal Afasten worshipers. Indeed, many historical figures would be considered Teners, though they were not considered as such during their lifetimes. Thus Teners are not considered a true heresy and instead merely a differing "Path" (interpretation) of mainstream Afastenism Septanics Another not quite heresy, the Septanic faith is the native faith of Galria with roots stretching to far before the Galric invasion of Arcas and Arcasan counter invasion. However the Seven Galric gods had very similar counterparts to the Arcasan gods and thus the two faiths were able to combine easily. Modern Septanics worship composite gods of Arcasan and Galrican roots. Like Teners, they are not considered a heresey, but another Path of Afasten. The Septanic gods are: * Vigiler - A combination of Eaker and the Galric god of death and fate, Vigil * Lyfter Pater - A combination of Lyfter and Caelpiter the Galric god of sky and law (de facto head deity) * Cinda Terra - A combination of Cinda and the Galric earth goddess Terra * Bron Ignus - A combination of Bron and the Galric fire god, Igntor * Watima Liga - A combination of Watima and Ligia, Galric water and healing goddess * Vyr Ferrus - A combination of Vyr and Ferdux, Galric god of war, metal, and wealth * Festa Sila - A combination of Festa and Siltela, Galric goddess of nature and trickery Stretchers The first true heresy (outside of Donerism, which most Afasten refuse to even consider as possibly part of the same faith). The Stretchers were founded in the fourteenth century by Arcasans that disliked the new rush of ideas. They felt that Arcasans were losing touch with their roots and their faith. Thus this sect rejects most forms of innovation in favor of hard work. They do not reject technology, merely innovations that would take the work out of work. Afasvens may have electricity, heating and even electronic entertainment devices (often in moderation), but refuse to use modern tools, transpiration or anything mass produced. The Stretchers have strong community values, preferring to live close together, thus the largest grouping of them is in rural Thorland, Amcar, a hold originally settled by them to tame the land of southern Amcar. Vyrer One of the more modern heresies, the Vyrers could also be called (barely) socially acceptable Donerists. They were founded by Theobald Howard, a blotter of Vyr, in the early 1490s in Grayland, Amcar. While they do not claim that the other gods are not gods, Vyrers claim that the only god that a man needs is Vyr, who will look after all his wants and needs. Vyrers shunned the other gods in favor of glorifiyng, which worried Arcasan officals, who feared another Donerist movement. The Arcasans pushed the Vyrers south, out of the country. Howard led his people to the far south before they settled "Vyrland" just outside of the Amcar border. Vyrland was later added as a part of Amcar after the Southern War along with several other lands. Faced with conflict returning, the Vyrers and Amcar offcials made a deal. The Vyrers would moderate themselves (in public) and the Amcarans would (unofficially) look the other way at some of their stranger customs. Despite being a known heresy, the Vyrers maintain warm relations with orthodox followers of Vyr with many Vyrers viewing a pilgrimage to the Grand hearg of Vyr in Arcas as a religious dutyCategory:Religion Category:Polytheistic